“Can I ask the member for education whether he will spearhead changes to the ALN funding pot at the next budget round. Currently some schools who try their best to integrate challenging pupils into mainstream education are penalised by the way we spread out the ALN pot. Can I seek assurances that this will be looked during the current budget process?”
Minutes:
“Can I ask the member for education whether he will spearhead changes to the ALN funding pot at the next budget round. Currently some schools who try their best to integrate challenging pupils into mainstream education are penalised by the way we spread out the ALN pot. Can I seek assurances that this will be looked during the current budget process?”
Response by Councillor Glynog Davies, Executive Board Member for Education and Children:-
“The first thing I would like to say is that I do discuss the Additional Learning Needs budget on a regular basis. The director is here this morning and he is witness that we discuss this situation on a regular basis, myself, him and also the Heads of Service, we have meetings on a monthly basis. You should also remember that I am Chair on a Governing Board and I know as well as any of you about the challenges that schools are facing. The pressure that is on schools on a daily basis in order to ensure that they do support these children who do have additional learning needs and there are learners like these in our schools.
I do have to say this, as a County we have been a little bit innovative in a way, maybe you didn’t realised this, but we were amongst the first to go ahead with schemes. I think about 4 years ago, we went to use some of the funding for additional learning needs, specifically give that to the schools to sort out and assess their own needs. By now of course other Counties are doing this. It is important that schools have a personal hold on this money and use it in a way that is appropriate to them, suitable for their children.
21m children went to the schools last year to support these learners, almost 600k more than was given the year before. The schools by now receive 67% of the total which is spent compared with the Welsh average of 73%. Schools are therefore, able to plan locally to meet their own needs. As you know the system is being changed now and I next week will be Chairing a very important meeting in Cardiff next week to discuss these changes. What we are doing prepares the way to develop these local matters to meet the needs of our pupils. We listen to the schools and we try and review the situation according to the answers that we receive from the schools.
Every element of the school funding formula is reviewed continuously, it is important to listen and that feedback does reach us, because I do realise that in many locations that can be very complicated and very difficult to try and meet these needs.
That following the feedback about the challenges that certain inclusive schools experience, we have, over the last few months been looking at the formula for allocating our ALN funding to ensure that it better reflects the needs of our schools. We are currently looking at it once again. We are working on models based on a number of funding proposals in order to identify the one that will best support the practices within our schools. However, any change to the formula will affect schools differently. There will be some losers, but there will be some winners. The pot is a finite pot, it is not a bottomless pit, unfortunately it is a finite pot and it is under extreme pressure. This new formula proposal will be shared with members of our School Budget Forum prior to consultation with all schools. There will be consultation with all schools for us to implement this in the next financial year.”
Councillor Giles Morgan asked the following supplementary question:-
“Just to say thank you for that comprehensive reply and I am glad that it is going to be looked at. In fairness I have had meetings with Gareth along with the Headmaster and they know that it has also gone to the Secondary Heads Forum as well where concern was expressed at how the pot is divvied up currently.
People might not know about school action plus and it does get a bit complicated when you look into it. I am glad it is being looked at and as far as I am concerned money needs to follow the pupil in the best way that it can. I will take those assurances that things are being looked at and look forward to speaking to you in the future.”